The Church of the Frozen Children
The Church of Frozen Children is a cult centered around the ruined St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in New Memphis. The building contains a few “Frozen Children” who have become the focus of worship for various scavengers and wastelanders in New Memphis. The cult is fanatically protective of their charges and will kill trespassers. History The beginnings of the Church were the discovery on the Frozen Children by a small scavver clan in the ruins of Memphis led by the patriarch Bulletproof in 2277. The scavengers were initially just poking around St. Jude's Hospital looking for medical supplies or pre-War technology, but they were instead surprised to find a couple of children perfectly preserved inside some cryopods still alive in the building's basement. The scavengers thought at first that the children were just well-preserved corpses, but one of them, Sposh, was shocked to find that the the children were still breathing, if only slightly. This amazed the scavengers quite a bit, but it sent Sposh into a sort of religious ecstasy that worried the others in his party. After discovering the children, the scavengers decided to settle down in St. Jude's and make it their den. For the next year or so, the scavenger clan lived in St. Jude's and operated out of it, selling and buying valuable junk. It was very profitable for Bulletproof and his clan although the area was loaded with ghouls. At the same time, Sposh had become increasingly obsessed with the "Frozen Children", and he grew to idolize them as living symbols of the glorious Old World. This concerned many of his fellow scavengers, but that did not trouble Sposh. He even violently threatened other scavengers who tried to set up the Frozen Children as a sideshow for outsiders, considering the suggestion to be highly offensive. St. Jude's electricity hiccuped a couple of times in 2278, and Bulletproof estimated that the power from the generator would only only last a few more months. The feral ghouls outside the hospital were also taking their toll on the scavengers, and the scavengers were tried of having to constantly defend themselves. So, Bulletproof decided that it was time to desert St. Jude and look for a better location to base their operations. However, Sposh took great offense to this and protested, not wanting the children to be cut off from their power source. Bulletproof laughed at this and asked "How they could be so special if they just die without electricity?" The other scavengers made fun of Sposh too since he barely knew anything about the children but seemed to think they were gods or something. They asked him why he did not just open up the pods and meet his gods, something Sposh could not properly answer himself. Nonetheless, he was steadfast in his determination to stay in St. Jude's, so the scavenger clan simply moved on without him. In the next few years, Sposh, holed up in St. Jude's on his own, slowly learned more and more about the Frozen Children as well as making up his own theories about their existence. He eventually came to the conclusion that the children were relics of the Old World sent into the future by the enigmatic "God in the Machine" to save the wasteland. Sposh also concluded that the children would eventually emerge on their own accord to bring salvation, and he would maintain their vessels until then. This was pretty far from the truth, but Sposh's efforts to maintain the hospital's generator did ultimately save the Frozen Children when he largely fixed the generator in 2280. After fixing the generator, Sposh adopted the name Boreas Stauricius and made his beliefs into a more formal religion. Boreas further fortified St. Jude's Hospital and made art displayed on the outside of the building. The Church of the Frozen Children was born. This attracted quite a bit of attention, and soon enough, Boreas had attracted a small following from the various drifters, scavengers, and mutants in New Memphis. Boreas preached zealously to his small following and urged them to help him in protecting the Frozen Child from "diddlers". He weaved a grand narrative about the Children being the salvation of the wasteland. So, most of the Church's members are charged with defending St. Jude's from external enemies or at least perceived enemies. Smaller numbers of cultists attend to the cryopods while a few are specifically charged with maintaining the hospital's constant power supply. Others are charged with farming the small plot of land the cult grows its food on. The Church of the Frozen Children is currently in a secure position with around thirty cultists holed up in St. Jude’s Hospital. Boreas is a strict leader, and he makes it a sort of policy to shoot intruders on sight. Anyone who wants to be allowed into the building has to run by their request for entry with Boreas and surrender their weapons at the door. Feral ghouls are still a slight problem for the church, but they now have sufficient numbers and weapons to fight them off. Boreas is very comfortable with his present situation, and he hopes the Frozen Children are happy with his righteous service. Although the cult is in the shadow of New Memphis, the Church avoids contact with the government and its militia. Culture The Church’s culture is almost entirely focused upon the protection the Frozen Children and the maintenance of their cryopods. Over the year, the Church of the Frozen Children has built up a considerable arsenal, and they have surprisingly good martial discipline. The Church is also quite xenophobic towards outsiders, as many of the cultists think wastelanders just want to kill, maim, or abduct the Children. Boreas hammered this mindset into the heads of the Church’s members, and they refuse to believe the good intentions of wastelanders unless reassured by Boreas. Boreas is regarded as the supreme authority among the small community, and the Church of the Frozen Children is very much his creation. The beliefs of the Church are largely informed by Boreas's foggy knowledge of the pre-War world and mythology. Once an illiterate scavver, Boreas still has a rather dim understanding of the pre-War world. He sees the world before the bombs dropped as an impossibly advanced Golden Age where gods walked the Earth while also being irreversibly corrupt. Boreas believes that the "God in the Machine" created cryopods to preserve the innocent children of the time to bring salvation the future world, a broken world that is still more pure than the corrupt age that preceded it. Boreas is also extremely paranoid about "diddlers" trying to harm the Frozen Children somehow and has his guards constantly on watch for intruders. Most of theses "diddlers" are actually just feral ghouls. On a seemingly more random note, Boreas is quite tolerant of polygamy and says that it is necessary to grow the ranks of the Church in anticipation of Frozen Children's return. Because there are far less female members of the Church than males, this has caused some degree of tension within the Church's ranks Economy The Church of the Frozen Children functions as a small autarky, not engaging in trade with wastelanders or caravans. The cult does not use currency or private property while Boreas does hold some things in case of emergency. The Church sustains itself through scavenging and growing food on a small plot of land. The hospital is kept afloat through constant maintenance and scavenging. Weapons/Technology For a small-time cult holed up in a hospital, the Church of the Frozen Children is surprisingly well-equipped. Boreas has always been very protective of the Children, and he sees guns as the best way of protecting them. The Church’s most common weapons are the 9mm pistol, the AK-112 assault rifle, and the combat shotgun. Tactics/Interactions The Church of the Frozen Children is purely defensive force in military terms, focused on single-mindedly protecting the Children. Guards are constantly posted inside the hospital and at the windows to keep a watch. The Church’s self-sufficiency allows it to survive any potential siege, though none of the sort has ever materialized. Ghouls and the occasional travelers are the cult’s most common enemies, and they know how to fight these threats. Notable Individuals Boreas Stauricius Boreas Stauricius, formerly known as Sposh, is the founder and current leader of the Church of the Frozen Children. Formerly an illiterate scavenger, Boreas has done quite well for himself and now sits atop a fine little cult he set up for himself. Boreas is driven by a mix of self-interest and obsession, and he holds mixed feelings on the entire "Frozen Children" theology he himself seemingly constructed out of thin air. However, he is not going voice any doubts when he gets free protection and plentiful access to women. The Church is his baby, and Boreas is not about to let it go under because he is getting cold feet. Daniel Connery Daniel Connery is the head of the Church's guards who guards St. Jude's. One of Boreas's initial recruits, Daniel is a firm adherent to the religion espoused by the Church but is still a believer in practicality. So, Daniel often makes it his business to deal with outsiders who attempt to brave St. Jude's. It is entirely up to these outsiders whether Daniel and his guards deal with them violently or not, but it is usually violent. Daniel was once a cold-hearted mercenary with no connections or family, but he is happy to now have a sort of family of his own. Davea Sullivan Davea Sullivan is the head mechanic of the Church, and she is in charge of maintaining the generator of St. Jude's. She also serves as one of Boreas's chief bedwarmers and is one of his favorites. The daughter of a member of the Militia, Davea was raised in the shadow of the Swamp Wall along with her mother. When her father died and her mother became a hopeless drunk, Davea wandered off to become her own woman, a scavenger and a tinkerer. She eventually came in contact with with Boreas and the Church out of incidence when she was caught between the crossfire of the cultists and feral ghouls. The message of the Church interested Davea, and soon enough, she decided to join the Church of Frozen Children. Upon seeing the children for the first time, Davea had a pang of maternal feelings that further motivated her to protect them. She does her duty to Boreas more in service to the leader than out of any personal affection, but it is all fine with Davea, for now at least. Jomary Jones Jomary Jones is a fanatic member of the Church who zealously watches the Frozen Children and his fellow cultists. Once a member of a scavenger clan, Jomary separated from his family in favor of the Church. The Church appealed to his feeling of belonging, and Jomary believes in the Church's doctrine with a sort of devotion uncommon even among members of the cult. Jomary is uncommon among the Church in that he sometimes prays to the Frozen Children, going on his knees in front of their cryopods. The other cultists are sort of suspicious of Jomary, but they are grateful for his loyalty. Jomary feels that he has a personal relationship with the God in the Machine and sometimes leaves small offerings in front of the cryopods when he is not praying to it or guarding St. Jude's. Quotes Category:Groups Category:Cults